A quartet of Freeplay FPR2 radios restored

[Phil G4SPZ]

The spring-driven second generation Freeplay FPR2 wind-up radio dates from 1997 onwards, were made in large numbers, and come in a wide variety of styles and colours. These recent additions to the collection all required mechanical and electrical attention, but are now complete and working well.

Early FPR2 sets can be distinguished by their solid colour cases and moulded speaker grille, together with the on-off toggle switch to the right of the tuning dial and the lack of a solar panel. The rare yellow model was produced in very small numbers early in the life of the second-generation Freeplay set and, for some reason, never made it into volume production. This set arrived apparently in working order, but very quickly jammed, the cause being a loose shard of yellow plastic that had found its way between the gear teeth. Once that was removed, the set worked, so the gearbox was serviced and a new final drive belt fitted.

The green model - more of an ‘olive drab’ colour - is a much more common version of the same early FPR2. This set was purchased in poor condition for a mere £2, initially as a potential source of spares. However a quick clean-up revealed that its condition was not as bad as was first thought, so it became a candidate for restoration. The first problem was the push-pull tuning dial pointer, which had broken. I joined the broken ends using a short length of 0.7mm diameter brass spring wire pressed into small holes drilled into the plastic each side of the break.

The receiver was found to work on FM but not on AM, the cause being quickly traced to two of the three Litz wires from the ferrite rod antenna being snapped. It appears that the radio had been dropped at some point, causing the ferrite rod to slide along its clips. The wires were re-soldered, restoring AM reception, and the ferrite rod was secured with dabs of super glue.

Three of the five internal case fixings, which hold the two halves of the case together, were also broken, almost certainly by the presumed ‘drop test’. These took some time to repair, using a combination of brass tubes, drilled hardwood dowels and Araldite, but the case was eventually robust again. The gearbox was serviced and a new drive belt fitted. A thorough clean and a light application of silicone ‘dashboard-shine’ produced a pleasing appearance.

The translucent red set, an example of the later post-1999 FPR2S model with solar panel and perforated metal speaker grille, was again initially acquired cheaply, very dirty and in poor cosmetic condition, as a potential parts donor. It appeared mechanically intact, but was ‘dead’ due to the 4” speaker being open-circuit. Lashing up the workshop speaker showed that the set was basically working, so I decided to restore it. The 5 watt hm speakers used in these sets are fairly low-profile, due to the restricted space available in front of the gearbox, and direct replacements don’t appear to be readily available. A clear-coned drop-in replacement was eventually sourced at a reasonable cost from China.

Restoring the dull and badly-scratched case took a few evenings of elbow grease and polish, starting with Greygate Paste Polishing No 5 (a.k.a “Bake-O-Bryte”) and finishing with “Peek” metal polish, but it now looks quite reasonable. The only outstanding item is an original volume control knob, which was missing; a temporary subsitute is currently in place.

Finally, the clear set, another later-model FPR2S, was kindly donated - in pieces - by an acquaintance. It was a virtually new radio, which had been previously dismantled to permit the case to be repaired where it had cracked badly at the telescopic aerial mounting point. I reinforced the cracks using thin super-glue, and once dry I set about reassembling the set, starting with the spring B-motor.

The springs in these sets are 50mm wide, 5 metres long, 0.2mm thick, and very strong. Manoeuvring the two drums into their correct positions was tricky as the spring tension pulls them together, and until the inner case is fixed in place there is only support to one side of the spindles. There’s an added complication in that the spring-loaded end-stop peg, designed to reduce stress on the end of the spring and prolong its life by preventing the endmost half-turn from fully unwinding, can only be positioned correctly once the spring is under a degree of tension. Anyway, with care, the spring motor was eventually reassembled and tested. The usual cleaning of the geartrain, light lubrication and a new drive belt completed the work.

A few ‘before and after’ images below.

Phil

[Phil G4SPZ]

The clear FPR2S.

Phil

[Nickthedentist]

Very unusual collection, Phil. I'm not usually a fan of that era of radio, but I can see the attraction.

Well done for getting them going, and looking so presentable. Impressive work!

[Phil G4SPZ]

Thanks, Nick! They are indeed quite fun and their performance is good. I’ve just bought another…!

[Nickthedentist]

It's a shame that the concept is so good, but the implementation so plasticy. Unavoidable in the commercial world at the time they were produced, of course.

Fun to imagine how Roberts or Hacker in their heyday might have done it, presumably with a spring generator (all-brass, naturally) bought-in from Smiths or Garrard!

[high_vacuum_house]

Interestingly, I have one of the green models here. The loudspeaker was also O/C! A temporary fix was to give it a jolt with a 1000V megger which temporarily restored operation. I expect the fault is a bad joint under one of the black blobs on the speaker cone where the flexible leads are soldered together to the voice coil wire.

Other than that, it works perfectly other than the noise it makes as it winds down.
Christopher Capener

[Phil G4SPZ]

On my first encounter with one of these sets, I thought exactly the same - “how flimsy and plasticky” - but as I’ve become better acquainted with them I have come to realise just how clever the design actually is. Unless they get broken, the case is pretty robust, but the key issue is that there’s around a kilogram of metallic mass surrounded largely by fresh air, contained in a lightweight two-part plastic case held together by four small screws… The perhaps surprising thing is that so many seem to have survived!

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by high_vacuum_house

Other than that, it works perfectly other than the noise it makes as it winds down.

Hi Chris. What a coincidence! Perhaps I should have tried the kV Megger trick. These sets do vary in terms of how much noise they make whilst unwinding. I have a couple that are virtually silent, but most do growl a bit. Going back to Nick’s suggestion, perhaps they should have used spur-cut metal gears rather than straight-cut plastic, although the radios were already expensive enough in their day!

[Nickthedentist]

What was the original retail price?

P.S. Like the Metamec(?) clock peeking under the yellow one's handle

[Phil G4SPZ]

In 1997, the FPR2 was launched in the USA at $79.99, or roughly £60. A typical battery-operated portable radio would have cost far less. I’ve seen calculations suggesting that a Freeplay radio would pay for itself eventually, in battery cost-savings. I’m a bit sceptical myself.

Ah, the Metamec… well spotted, Nick! That’s the mains synchronous one, model 701. I also have 30-hour and a 14-day examples in the same case, models 704 and 706 I think.

[Nickthedentist]

Thanks Phil.

For comparison, here's a snippet of a 1997 Argos catalogue:

[Nickthedentist]

£60 would buy you a relatively upmarket Sony with digital tuning and presets.

And the equivalent model with traditional rotary tuning is just £25: I have several of these: lovely compact sets with good, easy-to-listen-to sound quality and still with the legendry Sony build quality and reliability. All going strong after nearly 30 years with no repairs. And admirably low current conspumption: I get about a year of use from 4 generic alkaline AA cells, and Argos were selling those for £4.89 for 12. So by my rough and ready calculations, the Baygen would have to last at least 20 years to be as good value as the Sony

The Baygens look a bit toy-like in comparison, but tha's partly the bold styling, I suppose.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Thanks, Nick. That 1997 catalogue made interesting reading!

I concede that a Freeplay radio would be unlikely to last 20 years at the rate of daily use necessary to compete economically with batteries, due to the finite life of the carbon steel spring. These have a rated life of at least 10,000 cycles, and they do eventually expire - a friend of mine used her FPR2S for several hours a day over many years, and the spring finally broke. Spring replacement is not commercially viable. It is also argued that the environmental footprint of the Freeplay radio was very high due to the amount of steel and other materials used in its manufacture, and its relatively high weight added to transportation costs and associated carbon emissions.

However the point is that in those parts of the world for which this radio was designed, places where batteries are either completely unavailable or come at exhorbitant cost, the Freeplay radio met the need perfectly. It’s perhaps unfair to compare it with conventional radios in a well-to-do Western society.

[marqueemoon]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

It’s perhaps unfair to compare it with conventional radios in a well-to-do Western society.

Completely unfair IMO... you'll often find one of my Baygens on the kitchen windowledge of my comfortable village home, which is about as far from its intended use as is possible. They growl, and grind to a halt after about half an hour, requiring a minute's winding by way of payment for the next 30 minutes listening.

But I like them for what they are; they brought radio reception to areas of Africa where neither mains nor batteries were commonplace. They are a triumph of low tech in a world that demands ever more silicon-based solutions - and a credit to Trevor Baylis, their inventor. A Sony radio would have been no more use than a doorstop in that context.

Anyway, great thread! Baygens FPR1 and 2 (but especially the big and unapologetically clunky FPR1) are amongst my favourite radios ever.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by marqueemoon

Anyway, great thread! Baygens FPR1 and 2 (but especially the big and unapologetically clunky FPR1) are amongst my favourite radios ever.

Thanks, MM! They do have a certain charm, don’t they? I have become more interested in the FPR2 lately because it underwent several design changes during its lifetime, and as far as I can tell there were four variants between 1998 and the end of production. However I think the FPR1 remained unchanged despite remaining in production somewhat longer.

[ZeDeX82]

These look awesome. What a great job you have done on all of them. The transformation of the grey one is fantastic. What did you use to improve/polish/clean the plastic case?

Thanks

[Phil G4SPZ]

Thanks for the kind words! Wipe clean with wet-wipes and brush on some silicone ‘dashboard shine’ then buff off with a cloth. Other products are available. This process also works well on classic Avometers, or indeed most plastics with a stippled surface finish, but don’t get it on clear plastics because it smears. Oh, and it works on car dashboards as well!

The radio in the photo is what Freeplay call “green”. I have a black FPR2 but it’s closer to charcoal grey.

Phil

[ZeDeX82]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

Thanks for the kind words! Wipe clean with wet-wipes and brush on some silicone ‘dashboard shine’ then buff off with a cloth. Other products are available. This process also works well on classic Avometers, or indeed most plastics with a stippled surface finish, but don’t get it on clear plastics because it smears. Oh, and it works on car dashboards as well!

The radio in the photo is what Freeplay call “green”. I have a black FPR2 but it’s closer to charcoal grey.

Phil

Thanks Phil,

Off to Halfords now!!!!